Laravel: Populating forms while still allowing Form::old()

Question

What's the best way to populate forms with database data made using the Form class in Laravel while still giving way to Input::old() if there are any errors? I can't seem to get it right.

My current setup looks something like this

public function getSampleform() {
    // Load database data here

    return View::make('sampleform');
}

public function postSampleform() {
    // Save to database again then redirect to success page

    return Redirect::to('success');
}

I usually echo my fields in the View this way:

<?php echo Form::text('entry', Input::old('entry'), array('class' => 'form-select'); ?>

What am I doing wrong?

Answer 1

The best way to do this is using Form Model Binding (http://four.laravel.com/docs/html#form-model-binding):

Use an existing model or create an 'empty' model class:

class NoTable extends Eloquent { 
    protected  $guarded = array();
}

Find your model or instantiate your empty class and fill it with data:

public function getSampleform() {
    // Load database data here

    $model = new NoTable;
    $model->fill(['name' => 'antonio', 'amount' => 10]);

    return View::make('sampleform')->with(compact('model'));
}

If you'll use your form with a table that you already have data on it, this is how you uset it:

public function getSampleform() {

    // Locate the model and store it in a variable:
    $model = User::find(1);

    // Then you just pass it to your view:   
    return View::make('sampleform')->with(compact('model'));
}

To have your form populated, use Form Model Binding, this is an example in Blade:

{{ Form::model($model, array('route' => array('sample.form')) ) }}
    {{ Form::text('name') }}
    {{ Form::text('amount') }}
{{ Form::close() }}

You don't even have to pass your Input data, because Laravel will populate your inputs using what comes first:

1 - Session Flash Data (Old Input)
2 - Explicitly Passed Value (wich may be null or not)
3 - Model Attribute Data

And Laravel will also take care of csrf token for you, using Form::open() or Form::model().

Answer 2

The old() helper in Laravel (at least in 5.0) allows for a default value so that if some default value $entry is defined, then if you do this:

<?php 
    echo Form::text('entry', Input::old('entry', $entry), array('class' => 'form-select'); 
?>

The helper will first try to look up the old form value and failing that will use the value $entry. This also avoids having to use a ternary operator in your code.

However, when doing the redirect and there is an error you have to re-bind the old input data so that your postSampleform() method would look like:

public function postSampleform() {

    // Save to database again then redirect to success page
    if ($success)
    {
        return Redirect::to('success');
    }
    else
    {
        return Redirect::to('sampleform')->withInput(Request::all());
    }
}

Answer 3

You have to pass old input from the controller ($entry should contain your database entry):

return View::make('sampleform')->with('entry', $entry)->with_input();

And then in the view, use an inline if statement to load the input if present, or else load from database:

Form::text('entry', Input::old('entry') ? Input::old('entry') : $entry, array('class' => 'form-select');